Your diet: 22 weight loss tips that actually work

Vancouver Sun05.01.2012

If you’ve been checking out bathing suits and gasping in horror, don’t panic. You’ve still got lots of time to get your body looking svelte before you need to put that swimsuit on. Here are 22 diet tips that actually work, from sheknows.com.'
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1. Brush your teeth after meals

This is a simple yet so often overlooked trick to prevent snacking after meals. Once you are finished eating – any meal – excuse yourself and go brush your teeth. Having a fresh clean feel in your mouth will deter you from eating anymore. To boot, you'll be taking care of your chompers, reducing your risk of dental cavities and gum disease.Anton Prado PHOTO
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2. Exercise before big meals

Whether it's the holiday season or another celebratory reason to feast, preface your meal with a workout, says sheknows.com The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recommends that you take a long, hard walk or run about an hour before eating. This will elevate your metabolism and help you digest your food more effectively.Grant Black
/ Postmedia

3 Eat a light first course

Before you dive into your entree, have a light starter course. Missy Chase Lapine, author of the Sneaky Chef cookbooks, says, "Start the meal with a salad or hot low fat soup – research shows people who do this eat less." Just be sure you don't drown your salad in high fat dressings as well as avoid the heavy cream-based soups. Toss your greens lightly with an olive oil based vinaigrette and savour soups with a broth, tomato or pureed vegetable base.Nick Brancaccio
/ The Windsor Star

4. Fibre up

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD, author of the F-Factor Diet: Discover the Secret to Permanent Weight-loss, says, "I always tell clients ‘fibre and protein at every meal makes losing weight no big deal.’ Focus on high fibre and lean protein and you can achieve similar results without going to extremes." It may take longer to lose weight but it increases your chances of keeping it off for good. Fill up on fruits, veggies and whole grains – and be sure to read package labels to find the foods with the most fibre.iStockphoto
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5. Diet with a buddy

Zone Diet instructor John Erickson, author of The USA Diet Plans Manual, advises: "Find somebody who has similar aspirations and set challenging goals for one another. It's good to surround yourself with others who also follow a health-promoting lifestyle because it will only motivate you."Andreas Rentz
/ Getty Images for Reebok

6. Don't eat like a man

Jenna Bergen, author of Your Big Fat Boyfriend: How to Stay Thin When Dating a Diet Disaster, warns that if you try to keep up bite for bite with your man, you are going to end up overweight. She writes: "The hormone that makes your man a man (testosterone) is the main reason behind his (annoying) ability to eat so much without gaining a single ounce." Bergen goes on to say that testosterone causes the body to build muscle, which burns more calories than body fat (giving you more reason to incorporate weight training into your regular gym routine). Figure out how many calories your body needs and stick to an eating plan that is appropriate for you - not your guy.Jean Levac
/ The Ottawa Citizen

7. Make grocery shopping a healthy pleasure

If you detest the supermarket chaos on weekends, change your grocery shopping action plan to make it more enjoyable. In her book The Daily Fix, Alexa L. Fishback, MS, RD says, "Make grocery shopping fun, not a chore. Find your local farmers market and enjoy walking through different stalls and stands. Along with items on your list, pick up some fresh flowers to help boost your mood all week long." In addition to avoiding long grocery checkout lines, the foods you pick up at the farmers market will also be healthy, eco-friendly and freshly picked.File photo
/ BURNABY NOW

8. Savour every mouthful

Mindless munching will derail the best of diet intentions. Tune in to the foods you eat with all of your senses and make it an experience in pleasure. Once you start eating mindfully, ditch the foods you don't really like and slowly savour the ones you do. The slower and more attuned you are to your meals, the greater the likelihood you'll eat less.File
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9. A balanced diet is key

How often do you hear that advice? But how often do you actually follow it? Wendy Chant, a certified personal trainer and a specialist in performance nutrition, says: "The healthiest and most body fat-resistant diet contains protein and carbohydrates and fats." In her book Crack the Fat-Loss Code: Outsmart your metabolism and conquer the diet plateau, she extols the virtue of protein in every meal, but she also advises partnering it with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats, such as omega-3s found in fatty fish and flax.Simple Asian Meals
/ Miami Herald

10. Eat foods low in calorie density

Foods that are high in water and low in fat – such as fruits, vegetables, soup, lean meat, and low-fat dairy products – are low in calorie density and provide few calories per bite. Dr. Julia A Ello-Martin, lead researcher in a study comparing low-calorie density diets with reduced fat diets, says, "Eating a diet that is low in calorie density allows people to eat satisfying portions of food, and this may decrease feelings of hunger and deprivation while reducing calories." Women who ate low calorie density foods in the study, which was published in 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, lost more weight than women following a reduced fat diet.Marie-France Coallier
/ Postmedia News

11. Smart carbs are king

The low-carb craze spread rampant waves of carbohydrate fear through the masses, resulting in all carbs getting a bad rap. Truth is, complex carbohydrates – found in fruits, veggies and whole grains – are healthy and should be a cornerstone of your diet along with lean proteins and healthy fats. Celebrity health expert Jackie Keller, author of Body After Baby and directing founder of NutriFit, a Los Angeles based nutrition company, says, "Our star clients follow a balanced diet along the line of our general NutriFit recommendation of 60 per cent favorable carbs (fruits, vegetables and whole grains), 20 per cent lean protein and 20 per cent healthy fats."

12. Eat breakfast - and lunch and dinner

Breakfast is the meal skipped most often and, yet, research on successful weight loss shows eating breakfast is a key to successful weight control. Prioritize your morning meal and you'll be prioritizing healthy eating as well as improving your chances of reaching your goal weight. Additionally, eat regular meals throughout the day, fuelling your body every three to four hours to keep your blood sugar on an even keel, prevent hunger-induced bingeing, and keep your energy up.Jean Levac, The Ottawa Citizen
/ Postmedia News

13. Develop a life-diet

Instead of focusing only on diet or exercise, aim to improve your total lifestyle. Jeri Lynn Sunok, author of Fitness Intuitive, Opening Your Mind and Body to Lifelong Fitness, recommends a whole-fitness philosophy that incorporates a total body and mind approach to becoming fit. Eat right, follow a workout plan that incorporates variety, and practice a mind-body modality such as meditation or yoga. Develop a life-long comprehensive health and fitness plan.Nejron Photo
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14. Think baby steps

Kelly James-Enger, motivational speaker and co-author of Small Changes, Big Results: A 12-Week Action Plan to a Better Life, says, "Most people try to overhaul their entire lives all at once, which is nearly impossible to stick with for any length of time." Instead, opt for simple changes like including one more piece of fruit in your day or replacing white bread with whole grain. Do smaller more manageable changes and you'll find them much easier to live with.Adrian Lam
/ Times Colonist

15. Say no to processed foods

Eliminate processed foods and fast food, replacing them with wholesome options like fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, probiotic-rich dairy, and healthy fats. Not only will you decrease the chemicals in your diet, you'll also be increasing your consumption of essential nutrients for your health.Fotlia
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16. Don't focus on the scale

Geo Grigoryan, author of Slim Girl Secrets – A Woman's Guide to Getting a Shapely Sexy Body, says focusing on the scale is not a true representation of how you look. He adds that if you are working out – building muscle and burning fat – "how you look and feel has little to do with how much you actually weigh." Stop obsessing with the scale and take a good look at yourself instead.istock
/ The Province

18. Use some positive thinking

Erickson also recommends that you use the power of visualization to picture your ideal self. He says, "Pretend you are already the person of your dreams and forget about the internal dialogue of 'wanting to have' or 'I wish I was skinny.' Act as if you already have ripped arms, the perfect butt, shapely legs … As you think, you will become." Keeping a positive self-image will make you feel better and keep you motivated to eat healthier.Dario Ayala/THE GAZETTE

21. Join an online diet group

"Join a website program that helps you to track calories. Accountability is a huge help," says Amy Hendel, author of Fat Families, Thin Families. Having the support of a positive online group can keep you motivated to stick to your good diet intentions as well as provide tips to help you overcome diet obstacles. If available, consider joining a diet group that meets face to face in your community – being around supportive, like-minded people is one of the best ways to keep you enthused about eating better.Darren Stone
/ Victoria Times Colonist

22. Keep a food journal

Experts suggest that, to help break bad habits, you record not only what you eat, but the circumstances that prompt you to eat. When you begin to notice unhealthy patterns, you can figure out ways to change them, says sheknows.com. Best yet, you'll see results quickly – even after a couple of weeks, you can compare today to Day 1 and see how you've already improved.Marc Bence Marc Bence
/ Edmonton Journal

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